16 juin 2012

Palestinian Hunger Striker Must Be Admitted to Hospital or Released

16-06-2012,07:25

Al Qassam website(Agencies)
-

Palestinian footballer who is at risk of death after more than 90
days on hunger strike in protest against his detention by Israel should
immediately be admitted to a civilian hospital or released so that he
can receive life-saving medical care, Amnesty International said.

Mahmoud
al-Sarsak is from the Gaza Strip and has been detained by Israel since
July 2009. He is the only detainee currently held under the Internment
of Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows Israel to hold individuals
without charge or trial based on secret information.

Under the law, detainees can be held indefinitely unless they can prove they do not threaten Israeli security.

"After
almost three years in detention, the Israeli authorities have had
ample opportunity to charge al-Sarsak with a recognizable criminal
offence and bring him to trial," said Philip Luther, Amnesty
International's Middle East and North Africa Director.

"They
have failed to do so, and instead repeatedly affirmed his detention
order on the basis of secret information withheld from him and his
lawyer."

Al-Sarsak
has been denied proper access to medical treatment repeatedly during
his hunger strike. For someone on the verge of death, this amounts to
inhuman and degrading treatment in violation of Israel's international
obligations.

"The
specialized medical care al-Sarsak urgently needs is only available in
a civilian hospital and he must be admitted to one or released so that
he can receive it," said Philip Luther.

"Israel should repeal the Internment of Unlawful Combatants Law, which lacks minimal safeguards for detainees' rights."

On
Wednesday, Mahmoud al-Sarsak's family in Rafah in the southern Gaza
Strip, who have not seen their son since his arrest or spoken to him
since he went on hunger strike, told Amnesty International they fear he
will die in detention.

They urged the international community to intervene to save his life.

The
same day, al-Sarsak's lawyer told Amnesty International that his
client continues to be held at the Israel Prison Service medical centre
at Ramleh, which cannot provide the specialized medical care needed for
detainees on prolonged hunger strikes.